Police to tighten security prior to upcoming holiday

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Authorities are planning to enhance overall security across the country for the upcoming Idul Fitri, Christmas and New Year holiday season, particularly neighborhood security.

National Police chief Da'i Bachtiar said Wednesday police would give special attention to security at a local level.

"We will increase the deployment of police personnel in each district, sub-district and neighborhood, especially in Jakarta, during the mudik, the season when most urban people go back to their hometown, Christmas and New Year," said Da'i.

However, he did not specify the number of personnel to be deployed.

Millions of people are expected to return to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri, Christmas and New Year in the coming two months.

Da'i added that the plan is different from the one executed last year, in that not too many personnel will patrol the streets.

Last year, the authorities deployed 120,000 police personnel, mostly to patrol the streets in anticipation of possible terrorist attacks and other security disturbances.

Echoing Da'i's statement, the Coordinator Minister of Security and Political affairs Bambang Yudhoyono said that the coming two months were extremely volatile, in terms of the possibility of another terrorist attack.

The police are currently conducting a massive manhunt for terror suspects wanted in connection with recent bombings.

The National Police Spokesperson Zainuri Lubis stated that the two most wanted fugitives, Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Moch Top -- both suspects of the Bali and Marriott bombings -- would not be able to get too far away from Bandung.

"There is a great possibility that these two suspects are not far from the Bandung area. I acknowledge that they may have already reached Central Java or even Sumatra -- if they managed to travel by car or bus -- but no further away than those areas," said Lubis.

Da'i acknowledged that the plan would require the cooperation of other government ministries, including the transportation and telecommunications ministry.

"We call for the increase of (police) land, sea and air transportation, as well as the communications ability of the police personnel," he said.

Da'i mentioned budget difficulties, hoping that this constraint would not hamper security efforts.

"We hope that we can get the money as soon as possible. We don't want the money to reach us after we have finished the program," said Da'i.

Meanwhile at least 3,000 police personnel in Cirebon -- the city where both Tohir and Ismail were nabbed by the police -- have been deployed to help hunt the fugitives and guard vital and strategic places along the West Java North coast.

The operation is also aimed at securing hotels, amusement centers and other places frequented by expatriates in Cirebon.

"Besides which, we will conduct spot-checks of public transport," said the City Police chief Sr. Comr Sunaryono.

He also said that the police were patrolling the border between West Java and Central Java to stop the fugitives from crossing it.